


To Catch a Theif

by WolfRune20855



Series: Ever After Parents [6]
Category: Ever After High
Genre: F/M, Grace ships it, John Ships It, Robin and Marian take a long time to pull themselves together, cause they're blind, everyone ships it, except these two idiots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-22
Updated: 2018-03-22
Packaged: 2019-04-06 17:07:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14061504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfRune20855/pseuds/WolfRune20855
Summary: A few years after the wedding of her close friend, Marian finds herself working a case that seems all too familiar. Who is this Prince of Thieves? And what does he want with her?





	To Catch a Theif

It was a dark and stormy night, the kind of night where any sensible young lady would've been asleep at home, but Marian was not a sensible young lady-not by a long shot.

Marian pulled her cloak closer around herself and trudged along the muddy road. She hadn't been in Sherwood forest long, but so far she wasn't liking it. She had considered heading back towards Ever After several times, but the bounty note in her bag kept her on her path. If Marian caught the individual on that note, she wouldn't have to worry about money ever again.

The Prince of Thieves and his band of Merry Men had been a nuisance in Sherwood forest and the kingdom that it was located in for the better part of a year, ever since the prince had taken over. The problem with this particular group of thieves was that no one wanted to turn them in. The people were hiding them, and Marian knew from experience that it was nearly impossible to find someone that no one wanted to be found. Still, that didn't stop her. She had done it before, and she could do it again.

Marian wondered where her life had gone wrong. Headmaster Grimm and Baba Yaga would say that it had gone wrong the moment she decided to take her destiny in to her own hands, but Marian didn't agree. Her high school career had been great, perfect, even. She had had a great group of friends, they'd gotten into all sorts of mischief(though it was almost always blamed on Marian and Robin).

Then, high school had ended. Red had run off to deliver treats to her grandmother, Grace had gotten kidnapped by a dragon and Dashing had rescued her, Robin had left to become a knight, and Marian...she had nothing to do. The thing that sucked about writing your own destiny was that there came a time where you didn't know what to do, and there was nobody there to tell Marian what to do. She had to decide for herself.

Marian had looked at what she was good at, and it all boiled down to one thing; archery. The problem was that no one wanted a female archer in their army, or guard, or anywhere else for that matter. The only place where Marian was able to find work was at local taverns and inns where bounties were dropped off and posted. So, Marian had become a bounty hunter, and a damned good one too.

Marian came to a stop outside a rickety-looking inn. She pushed through the door, waiting a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dim light. Marian walked up to the innkeeper and placed a few coins on the counter.

"I need a room for the night," she said.

The innkeeper nodded and took her money, handing her a key in return. "D'you want food?" he asked.

Marian nodded. She stuffed her key into her bag and took a seat at one of the empty tables. For the only source of drink in miles, the room wasn't too crowded. There couldn't've been more than a handful of people, all of them staring into their own tankards. There was none of the hearty laughter and boisterous chatter that was normal in the other inns Marian visited.

The innkeeper set a plate down in front of her, without any utensils to eat it with. Marian was used to this though. She pulled a knife out of her bag and began shoveling food into her mouth.

Marian was at a loss as to what to do. Normally, this would've been the opportune time to get friendly with the locals, after all, no one payed attention to a small girl, but it didn't seem like any of them wanted to talk. Marian stared at the plate in front of her. Even if the people of Sherwood weren't very welcoming, Marian would get them to open up, she was great at manipulating people.

Marian's head shot up as the door banged open, the air from outside seeping in along with another customer. The man wasn't what Marian would call tall, but he had a presence to him. She could tell by the way that he held himself that this was a man that she didn't want on her bad side.

She spared a glance at the other patrons as the innkeeper spoke up. None of them seemed to happy about this stranger's arrival. Marian wondered, for a second, if the was the Prince of Thieves, but decided against it. From what she had heard, that man was very personable, this one looked anything but.

"What do you want, Nottingham?" the innkeeper said, not bothering to mask his obvious dislike for the man.

Nottingham chuckled. "You should try treating your superiors with a little respect. For all I know, you could be harboring the Prince of Thieves himself. Then, I would have no choice but to take this fine establishment off your hands," He ran a gloved finger along the countertop and surveyed the invisible grime on his fingers, "Not that fine, though," he said, and the innkeeper visibly bristled.

The innkeeper huffed and placed a bag on the counter in front of him. "If that's what you want, then take it. I don't want to see your sorry ass in here 'till next month."

Nottingham picked up the bag and inspected the contents. "This is less than last time," he said, giving the innkeeper a pointed look.

The man shrugged. "This is what happens when you bleed the kingdon dry, Nottingham. What did you expect?"

"The King will hear about this," he reassured the innkeeper, "But I might be willing to overlook this for a tankard of your finest ale."

Marian could tell that the innkeeper was annoyed, as innkeepers tend to be when someone disrespects them in their own inn. Still, he filled a tankard with ale for Nottingham. Marian was beginning to wonder what exactly this man had done for everyone to hate him so much. He seemed pretty dislikable to her, but Marian was known for her ability to hate people. By the looks of it, he was a tax collector. Marian could deal with tax collectors, just as she could deal with thieves.

Marian fingered the bounty note in her bag. She was sure that she could get information regarding the Merry Men from Nottingham, but by the looks on the locals' faces, being friendly with the tax collector would make her an outcast. Better to wait until morning.

* * *

 

It wasn't raining when Marian awoke, for which she was thankful. Marian didn't like rain. There wasn't much work that could be done when it was raining.

Marian pulled on her customary pair of leggings, boots with a dagger hidden in them, and tunic. The tunic was green and technically it wasn't even hers. It had belonged to Robin and she had stolen it from him during a stay at his parents' manor during one of the times that they almost dated. Sometimes, Marian wondered what it would be like if they had actually dated. After all, he was supposed to be her prince.

She shook her head, clearing it of such nonsense. Robin was gone, and pondering maybes wouldn't reverse time, and it sure a hell wouldn't catch a thief for her.

Locking the door behind her, Marian pushed all thoughts of Robin aside. Right now she needed to focus solely on the Prince of Thieves.

* * *

 

"Hi," Marian said with the most innocent smile she could muster, "My name's Leah, and I'm writing a book. I was wondering if you could spare a few minutes to answer some of my questions?"

This was the fourth person that Marian had questioned that day, and she was finding that the people of Sherwood forest loved to talk about their Prince of Thieves.

The man currently sitting in front of her looked harmless enough, even if he was the tallest person she'd ever seen. His brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail and he was wearing a smile on his face(a rare trait in an overtaxed region such a this one). He was wearing a tunic, much like the one that Marian was wearing, that showed off his well defined arms. This man was a warrior, that much was obvious, so what he was doing outside of a rundown church was a mystery.

The man smiled at her. "Researching a book?" he questioned, and Marian nodded. "Now what would that book be about?"

"I'm glad that you asked," Marian smiled and sat down on the bench next to him. "See, I was in my parents' library and I noticed a book on Sherwood Forest and the surrounding kingdom, but it was incredibly old."

Marian continued to explain the cover story that she had chosen. As far as the people of Sherwood forest were concerned, her name was Leah and she was just another spoiled princess whose parents had paid for her to get out of the house. Her fascination with the Prince of Thieves was that of a young girl with a crush to them, and most of them indulged her. It seemed to Marian like their prince liked women as much as the next man, a trait that had gotten many criminals into trouble before.

However, the stories coming from the villagers that she talked to made her almost want to skip this hunt. It seemed like the Merry Men were indeed doing a good thing. The bounty on the prince's head was the only thing that convinced her to not give up-that, and the fact that Marian hated to lose.

"You're not from around here, then. Are you Leah?" asked the man.

Marian giggled. If Grace could see her now, she would no doubt burst out laughing. Marian never giggled. "No, sir," she said, "I'm from the Ever After."

The man raised an eyebrow. "The Ever After? That's an awfully long way to travel."

"Well," Marian said, "It's my destiny to write this book." She had no doubt that that comment would keep the man from asking anymore questions about where she came from. People from the Enchanted Forest were known for doing crazy things because of their destiny. Marian had always thought it ridiculous, but it came in handy every once in awhile.

"If it's your destiny," the man said, "Then I'd be more than happy to answer your questions."

"Thank you," Marian smiled and pulled a notebook out of her bag, all part of keeping her cover, "Oh," she suddenly exclaimed, "I almost forgot. What's your name?"

The man smiled. "My name's John," he said.

"Alright then, John," Marian said with a flirty grin, "What can you tell me about the Prince of Thieves?"

* * *

 

"There's a bounty hunter looking for you."

Robin's head snapped up as John entered his tent. He raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?" he asked.

John shrugged. "It's that, or there's a girl interested in learning everything about you."

So, this suspected bounty hunter was a girl? That was interesting, to say the least. Not many female bounty hunters existed, let alone took up the challenge of capturing him.

"Is it so hard to believe that a woman finds me interesting? I am something of a legend." Robin said.

"This one's not from around here," John said, "Say's that she's from Ever After."

"Really?"

Robin didn't know anyone from Ever After the would come to Sherwood Forest. Everyone there was to obsessed with their destinies to do anything that would make a real difference. Robin was glad that he'd been spared that fate. He supposed that he had Marian to thank for that. She had made it very obvious that she didn't want to be saved by him. The thought made him shake his head. He wouldn't've minded saving her. In fact, she had been one of the few people whose company he actually enjoyed during high school.

"Yeah," John said, pulling Robin out of his thoughts, "Her name's Leah. I didn't get a surname. Do you know of anyone by the name of Leah?"

Robin shook his head. "There's always the possibility that Leah's not her real name," he commented.

"My thoughts exactly."

"I'll send Jesper to asses whether or not she poses a real threat," Robin said, naming one of the men under his command.

"No need for that," John said, "I'll go."

"You?"

"Yes, me."

Robin grew suspicious. "Why do you want to go?"

"Can you blame a man for wanting to talk to a pretty lady?" John asked.

"Even a pretty lady that wants to kill you?"

John grinned. "That's even better," he said. Robin shook his head. His second in command could be an idiot at times.

"I'm going with you then," he said.

If possible, John's smile widened. "Just like old times," he said, and Robin couldn't help but smile.

"What about Prince John and Sheriff Nottingham?" he asked, "Have you found any news about their plans."

"Very little," John said, "I'm afraid that there won't be any way to find out more without someone on the inside. The castle's hiring, but they'd know anyone in our band the moment that they stepped foot in the building."

Robin nodded, processing the information. This wasn't new news, but it seemed like the Sheriff and Prince knew of their plans at every turn while they were left in the dark. Someone on the inside would definitely help.

"And what about the mole?" Robin asked.

John shook his head. Robin sighed. Great. It seemed like none of his plans were working out. He had a mole in his group, a bounty hunter after him, and he needed a spy. The day kept getting better and better.

* * *

 

The inn was more crowded than it had been the night before, a fact that made Marian a little curious. It seemed as if she had spent the entire day making friends with the locals, but a few of them were still wary of her. The friar at the church had looked at her like he knew that she was lying, and a few villagers were suspicious. Still, it had been a very productive day.

Marian didn't know what to think of the Prince of Thieves. The king of the land was taxing the people to the point where most of them were bankrupt, and several of them were homeless. If the Prince of Thieves was stealing from the king, could she really blame him? After all, wouldn't Marian do the exact same thing in his place? Marian almost respected the thief.

No one seemed to know who he was. The most that she had heard from anyone was that he was a knight during King Richard's reign. The king had left on a crusade and the prince had taken over and decided to tax the living daylights out of his brother's people. Disgusted, the Prince of Thieves had left along with several other knights, and they'd been a nuisance to the crown since. 

Marian stared down at her drink, maybe she really would just abandon this hunt.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this?" Marian's head snapped up at the sound of the tax collector's voice. The area around her had gone silent with only minor chatter in the background. Marian's eyes flitted around herself, assessing the reactions of the locals before landing on the tax collector's face.

Nottingham did not have a nice face, Marian decided. It wasn't that he was bad looking, in fact he was incredibly handsome, but his eyes were cold and hard. And his smile...Marian almost shuddered. The man's smile was predatory.

Marian met his gaze defiantly. While it wasn't a bad thing to suck up a little, she was sure that the locals would hate her if she did so. She felt her fingers move instinctively toward her boot, but stopped herself. That would blow her whole cover.

"I'm having a drink," she said.

"I can tell that," Nottingham said, "Would you mind if I joined you?"

It was less of a question than a demand. "No," Marian said, "I wouldn't mind."

The man sat down across from her before meeting the gazes of the rest of the room. "Well?" he bellowed. The room stared at him for a second before continuing in their chatter warily, leaving Marian alone with Nottingham.

* * *

 

Robin could feel John's eyes upon him, questioning whether or not they should be doing this. Robin sighed, that was a problem with John, he never wanted to break the rules. Robin, on the other hand, believed that rules were made to be broken.

"I'll be fine, John," he said, addressing his friend's unspoken concern. "You're the one with the hard job."

"I'm the one that gets to talk to the pretty lady," John said.

"And I'm the one that gets to break into her room," Robin retorted.

John shrugged. "Whatever you say," he said, and walked towards the front door. Robin made his way towards the back.

There was some chatter coming from the main room as he passed by it without a single glance. He climbed the stairs and opened the first door that he came to, knowing that it was hers. Not many people came to Sherwood Forest these days, so the inn was nearly void of visitors.

After only a few seconds with his lockpicks, Robin eased the door open. The room was so bare that Robin almost thought he had the wrong one, but he knew that he didn't, for the bed was unmade. He stealthily moved towards the wardrobe against the far wall, closing the door behind himself as he did so.

The wardrobe had a lock on it, and this one took him longer to pick, but it wasn't long before the door swung open. There were three tunics hung on hangers, along with two pairs of leggings and a cloak. A quiver full of arrows and a bow sat on the bottom of the wardrobe, confirming Robin's suspicions that the visitor was more than just a ditzy girl with a crush on him. Next to the quiver sat a worn leather bag. Robin picked it up.

There wasn't much in the bag. John had said that she kept a notebook on her, so Robin assumed that that was where she was keeping most of her information. He found a bounty note for himself in the bag along with several knives, but nothing that would reveal who this person really was.

Robin was about to give up when a small, rectangular piece of paper fell out of the bag. He picked it up and turned it around. Three girls stared up at him from the piece of paper, none of them older than eighteen.

The first girl was shorter than the other two by a considerable amount. Her short brown hair was styled in a bob and she was wearing a plaid shirt three sizes too big for her. The girl in the middle was wearing a blue dress with her blonde hair flowing around her shoulders. She was in the middle of laughing at something that someone had said.

Even if Robin hadn't recognized the first two girls, which he had, he would've known who they were based on the third girl. She was of average height wearing a simple tunic, her hair pulled back in a ponytail. She was laughing along with the other girls, but her eyes were focused on the person behind the camera as if she was sharing the joke with the photographer. Robin knew those eyes and that smile. He knew them better than he knew his own.

Marian.

Robin dropped the picture in the front pocket of the bag at the sound of footsteps on the stairs. He hid the bag and quickly made his escape, just closing the window as someone entered the room. Silently, he climbed down the wall and made his way to the agreed rendezvous point.

As he waited for John to appear, Robin pondered what he had just witnessed. The picture of Marian, Grace, and Red meant that one of those three girls was hunting him. That, or someone with a close connection to the three of them. He would have said that Marian was the one hunting him, but she had made it very clear that she wanted nothing to do with him. Grace had the skills, but her fighting style had always been very confrontational, and she didn't seem like the bounty hunter type. Robin doubted that it was Red. After all, Red couldn't have anyone questioning her dedication to her destiny since she had fallen in love with Bad.

"Robin," Robin looked up at the sound of John's voice. The man was standing a few feet away from him, nearly invisible in the dark. "Did you get what you needed?"

"Yeah," Robin said, "Did you?"

"I didn't actually talk to her since Nottingham was," John said, and Robin bristled. Even if the bounty hunter wasn't one of his friends, he didn't want them to be hurt by Nottingham. The man was always up to no good. "The bastard seems to like her," John added, "He offered her a job at the castle."

"And what did she say?"

"She said that she'd think about it," John answered, "I think that she's wary of him."

"As she should be," Robin said, "What does she look like?"

John shrugged. "Short."

Robin rolled his eyes. "Everyone's short to you, John," he said.

"You know what I mean," John said, "She's not tall. She has brown hair that she wears pulled back and grey eyes."

"Anything else?"

"She was wearing a green tunic and brown leggings. Why do you care so much, Robin?"

Robin paused, considering whether or not to tell John. The man was his second in command, Robin decided, he should know. "She's from Ever After," Robin said.

"Really?"

"Yeah," Robin said, "But her name's not Leah, it's Marian."

"Marian?" Robin could hear the astonishment in John's voice, even though he couldn't see his face, "As in, destiny Marian? The one that saved you from having a destiny by saying that she didn't want to marry you?"

"Yes," Robin said. It still stung a little, even after all these years. He wasn't that bad, but Marian had acted like he was her sworn enemy. Most of the time, anyways. There had been times where Robin had thought that she had some sort of feelings for him, but each time that they got close and started hanging out, she would retreat and go back to hating him.

"What's she doing hunting us?" John asked.

"I don't know," Robin said with a shake of his head, "But I plan on finding out."

* * *

 

Marian had decided, after about an hour of talking to Sheriff Nottingham, that if she never saw him again that it would be too soon. The man was clearly in love with himself, and it made Marian want to gouge her eyes out with a spoon. He never shut up. Finally, she was able to excuse herself from the table and make her way back to her room.

Marian flopped down on her bed and let out a groan. She had no doubt that the sheriff would find more excuses to talk to her, and she wasn't looking forward to it. She shuffled around the room, taking off her tunic and almost missing that her wardrobe door was no longer locked.

She studied the door for a few minutes. Normally, Marian would've brushed it off as her own carelessness, but she was dealing with thieves, the Prince of Thieves, in fact. She tossed her tunic on the floor of her wardrobe, and searched her bags. Nothing had been taken, but everything had been disturbed. Even the small picture that she kept for sentimental reasons had been moved. Had Marian been in Ever After, she would've freaked out-the photo showed who she was and who she was friends with-but no one in Sherwood Forest knew anything about her, and the chances of finding someone who did were slim.

Marian shifted through the list of possible thieves in her mind and only came up with two; John, the tall flirty man that she'd interviewed, and Tuck, the friar at the cathedral. One, or both, of those men probably reported back to the prince of thieves.

Marian unlaced her boots and crawled under the covers. She would deal with those men in the morning, right now, she needed to get some sleep.

* * *

 

"The hood looks dumb," Robin's second in command said for the third time that night. Robin rolled his eyes, John always thought that the hood looked dumb, even if it was an essential part of the costume. All of his Merry Men had one, Robin was just one of the few that chose to wear it.

A hoot sounded from a ways down the road, alerting Robin and the rest of his team that the tax cart was heading this way, not the fake one that had past undisturbed an hour before, but the real one.

"I've got a question, Rob," John said, shifting in his hiding place next to Robin.

"Good for you."

"How come you never asked her out?"

Robin listened for the sound of approaching wheels. "How come I never asked who out?"

"Marian," John said, "She's just like you."

"You've spoken to her once," Robin accused.

John shrugged. "That's enough for me. So, why didn't you?"

Robin was saved from answering by the tax cart coming into view. One more hoot, and Robin and his men descended on the vehicle.

* * *

 

"The Merry Men stopped another tax cart last night," Marian looked up from her notebook at the person sitting across from her. John, Marian decided, was handsome. Not in the conventional way, but he was attractive in the rugged woodsman kind of way.

"Why are you telling me this?" Marian asked.

John smiled. "I thought you might want to know-for your book and all."

Marian nodded and closed her notebook. Marian was fairly certain that the man sitting across from her was indeed a Merry Man. Her conversation with Sheriff Nottingham the night before had only helped. He hated John, though he hadn't told her why. The two had a history, it would seem. Marian briefly wondered if John was the Prince of Thieves before dismissing the idea, he wasn't the type.

"So, what's it like in Ever After?"

Marian raised an eyebrow. "Why do you want to know?"

John flashed a flirty grin. "I'm curious about you. It isn't every day a pretty girl comes to Sherwood Forest."

Marian supposed that it was a compliment, but John was also probably trying to get information out of her. "You know," she said with an equally flirty grin, "It's Ever After. Destinies, and princesses, and stuff."

"And you wouldn't happen to have a prince waiting for you in Ever After, would you?"

Marian's thoughts flashed briefly to Robin, his annoying grin and thinly veiled insults; the many times that they'd argued, the one time they'd kissed. "No," Marian shook her head, "There's no prince."

"Good news for me, then," John said.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I've got a friend who'd love to meet you. Frankly, I think you'd be perfect for one another."

That caught Marian off guard. John was a flirt, but she didn't think that he was serious, or that he'd try to set her up with anyone. Obviously, she was wrong.

"I don't know," she said.

"Trust me," John reassured her, "You'll want to meet him. He knows all about the Prince of Thieves."

 _Maybe he is the Prince of Thieves_ , a voice in Marian's head said. She mulled the idea over. It didn't seem impossible. Marian smiled, she'd been looking for the Prince of Thieves the whole time, and here John was offering him to her on a silver platter. "I'd love to," she said.

"Good," said John, "I'll bring him with me tomorrow." John started out the door, no doubt to tell his friend the good news.

* * *

 

"Why do I get the feeling that you're trying to set me up on a date?"

John shrugged. "So what if I am? It's not like I haven't set you up on dates before."

"This is different," Robin muttered.

"How?"

"First of all, she wants my head on a platter-"

"From what you've told me, that's no different from how you two were in high school."

"You don't know anything about us in high school."

"Really?" John crossed his arms, "Care to explain to me why you missed Bad Wolf's wedding, then? Or Dashing Charming's?"

Robin sat down on the ground. "I feel no reason to explain to you why I do what I do."

"Sure," John nodded. "Just promise me that you'll come with me tomorrow."

Robin sighed. "Fine. I'll come with you."

"Good." John slapped him on the back. "I promise you that you won't regret it."

"I already do."

* * *

 

Marian tapped her fingers on the wooden table. John had promised her that he'd meet her with his friend in tow tonight, but she had yet to see anyone who resembled John. She had picked a seat in the corner of the inn, where she could see everything that went on in the room. No one entered or exited without her noticing. It was strategic, that's what it was.

A hooded figure entered the inn. Shadows hiding their face, they glanced around before focusing in on Marian. She froze as she felt their eyes upon her. A moment later, John entered behind the cloaked man. He smiled when he spotted her and slapped his friend on the back before making his way over to her.

"Leah," he said with a wide grin, "It's good to see that you made it."

"I am staying here," Marian said, her eyes focusing on the figure behind John. Dammit. Why did it have to be so dark in here? If only she could see his face. Then she'd be able to identify whether or not he truly was the Prince of Thieves.

Then again, she'd never seen the prince. She didn't know what he looked like, so she had no way of knowing whether or not John's friend was him. She'd have to rely upon her gut.

"This is the friend that I was telling you about," John said, "I think that it might be best if we talk elsewhere."

Was it a smart idea to move from a highly public place to somewhere where Marian could be overpowered? Hell, no. But she wasn't seeing many other options. She wanted to know. She had to know.

"We can talk in my room." Marian stood and beckoned for the two to follow. When they finally made it to her room, she positioned herself next to the door so that she could easily escape. "So..."

"Right," John said, "let's stop the pretending for a minute."

"What pretending?" Marian asked innocently.

"You're a bounty hunter. I'm a Merry Man. My friend here is..."

"A friend." Pale fingers reached up to grasp the corners of the hood and pulled it down. Marian's jaw dropped. "Though, I don't suppose that term ever applied to us."

* * *

 

Godmother, she was a sight for sore eyes. Marian had never been beautiful, and she never would be, but Robin preferred her plain face to the most beautiful of princesses. She was staring at him with clear shock written on her face. It was a little funny to think that even after all of the years he could still surprise her.

"Hey, Marian," he said.

"Robin," she breathed. Then her brows came together as she seemed to realize what she'd said. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know. Robbing. Stealing. General tomfoolery. The stuff that I've always been good at."

The next words out of her mouth surprised him. "Why weren't you at the wedding?"

"Which wedding?" Robin gulped.

"Red's. Grace's. Snow White's. Any of them. Why didn't you come back to Ever After."

 _Because of you_. No. He couldn't say that. He couldn't tell Marian that the reason that he hadn't been home since he left was because he was afraid that if he saw her again he'd never bring himself to leave.

"I don't really like weddings," Robin offered causing John to snort. He turned to glare at his second who was laughing silently. "Can you leave us alone for a minute, John?"

"Whatever you say, boss." John walked past Marian and ducked out of the door, leaving them alone.

"So you are the Prince of Thieves?" Marian asked, taking a seat on the bed and bringing her knees up to her chest. Robin took a seat next to her, noticed my for the first time that the green tunic that she wore wasn't hers but his. For some reason he found that idly satisfying.

"I am," he answered, "You are a bounty hunter."

Marian nodded. "Wasn't much else that I could make a living doing."

"So, what now?"

"I could always take you in."

Robin grinned. "I'd like to see you try."

"Or, I could help you." Now that sounded more like the Marian that he knew and...he wouldn't go there. Not now. "I've been offered a job at the palace. I could be a spy."

"You could."

"Besides, you and I both know that I'm a better shot than most of your Merry Men."

"Hey!" Robin took a moment to be offended. "You don't know my Merry Men."

"John," Marian offered, "and Tuck. Very clever having the friar spy for you by the way. Most people wouldn't see that."

"But you did."

"I'm Marian freakin' Charming," Marian said, "Of course I saw it. So, what do you say? Do we have ourselves a deal?"

Did they have a deal? He didn't like the idea of Marian being a spy. She would be killed if she were to be discovered. She would be under constant scrutiny. Not to mention that she'd be working in close proximity to that leech Nottingham. But Robin had never had a say in what Marian did in the first place. Why would that change now?

"We have ourselves a deal."

"Good."

"Good."

"Great."

"Great."

"Fine. Be that way."

"I will."

"Good."

Robin couldn't help but smile. Same old Marian. It was almost like old times. Oh, how he'd missed those. How he'd missed her.

"That's great," Robin said and it was. It was simply, utterly, fantastically great. 


End file.
